what is the difference between curved and straight.......

[yana sax]

1) necks. how do they affect playing, what do you prefer and why, which is best overall and why, etc.


2) main bodies of the sax. same questions as above.



thanks for your time, oliver.

P.S. don't tell me that they are different shapes!!! lol

[dingfelder]

check out paul's nice article on this subject

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Coats/Soprano.html

btw, they are different shapes :twisted:

[yana sax]

cheers. that articles useful. any idea about the necks?

[Bootman]

One is curved and the other is straight. The difference is subtle, the straight has a more oboe like sound, the curved sounds more like a sax. These differences are more pronounced on vintage horns than they are on Modern horns. Try a Saxello style modern John Lehner horn, this is the sweetest modern combo horn I have ever found.

Drop me a line if you want more info.

[wthalliii]

The difference between using a curved neck and a straight neck on a straight horn?

With a straight neck, you hold the horn at a greater angle to your body so that the mouthpiece is at the proper angle. This points the bell more at the audience, so you have more projection. It also is a little more tiring holding the horn that way. The curved neck lets you hold the horn at a more comfortable angle, but it's pointed more at the floor.

Discounting the difference in projection, my personal opinion is that it makes very little difference in how the horn sounds.

I use the straight neck on my Serie III most often, and without a strap.

[Dave Dolson]

I prefer straight necks on all of my sopranos, curved and straight (no strap). I find curved necks give me a different, more subdued sound - one that I don't like as well as the straight necks. This is true with every removable-neck sop I've owned/played (Yanagisawas, Selmers, Antiguas, Yamahas).

I play a straight Yanagisawa bronze neck on my SC902, and a straight solid-silver Yana neck on my S992. While I doubt that anyone in the audience would recognize the difference (and wouldn't care, either), I hear it and I feel more comfortable with a straight neck. After 48 years of soprano playing, I've grown accustomed to the playing position of straight necks - and with straight vintage sops, you don't have much of a choice.

With a curved vintage soprano, I've experienced some interference between the right bell-pad and my right-hand fingers. While it didn't limit my facility, it was bothersome. The new Yanagisawa SC991 solved that problem by twisting the bell enough so the right-side bell pads (moved from left on the SC90x series to right on the SC99x series) are further away from the player's right-hand fingers.

Tonally, there is little difference to the audience between curved and straight sops. However, the player will notice a huge difference because of the curved sop's bell projecting right back in the player's face. DAVE

[yana sax]

thanks again. i have sort of made my choice. i will probably buy an antigua, as i'm short of cash. It'll have a curved neck, but the sax'll be straight. how does this sound to you? thanks for advice, oliver.


P.S. i'm not that experienced on soprano, as i play alto mostly.

[Dave Dolson]

Yana sax: Great choice, Antigua. I like mine. DAVE

[OANegrin]

I didn't say anything...

OA (Oliver Angel) Negrin

[brirenean]

New on here.... but my query is that I have a new Cannonball curved (neck and bell) soprano sax. I find the quality of tone has no body, and also is flat to concert even with mouthpiece full on.

[Bootman]

Try a Selmer Super Session mpc, this may improve intonation quite dramatically.